Ottawa, Ontario — The Royal 22e Régiment (R22eR) are the 2017 Imjin Hockey Classic champions, defeating Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) 2-0 in their November 18 matchup held at TD Place. Warrant Officer Jack Bourque scored the first R22eR goal in the second period and Sergeant Pascal Houde found the net in the third.

The Imjin Classic, co-hosted by the Canadian Army and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, is about commemorating Canada’s role in the Korean War and its close ties with South Korea. This game is in honour of the Canadian soldiers who defended the Republic of Korea – and who played Canada’s favourite winter sport on the frozen Imjin River during the Korean War, beginning in 1952. The 2017 match-up marks the 65th anniversary of the initial contest between the two regiments.

In 2016, PPCLI won the Imjin Hockey Classic with a score 1-0. The R22eR won both the 2015 and the 2014 games, with scores of 9-3 and 7-4. But no matter which team puts the most pucks in the net, the main goal of the event is always achieved: remembering those who served Canada so well in the Korean conflict.